I’m Not Who They Say I Am (June, 2023)

By: Charlotte Fawver

One day again, she called me in front of the class. There was a stack of books on her desk. She asked me to place a page in each book; at least, that is what I thought she said. She talked to the class then turned and saw me placing one sheet of paper in each book. Her face would turn red with anger when someone would not do exactly as she asked, causing me to want to yell, “Beam me up, Scotty!” You won’t know what I mean by that if you have never watched Star Trek. Simply put, I wanted to disappear. In front of the whole class, she yelled at me and said, “Charlotte, you never follow directions!” I bowed my head with a lump in my throat that I tried to swallow several times to keep from bursting into tears. I was so embarrassed and felt like a complete failure.

I went home and told Mother what had happened. She became furious. She preached to me a while saying, “Charlotte, you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you” (Phil. 4:13). She told me that I had the mind of Christ (1 Cor.2:16). She told me not to believe what this woman had said about me. She preached to me so strongly that I knew that I could follow directions, in Jesus’ name. Well, if that wasn’t enough.... Mother told me that we were going back to the school and she would straighten this out once and for all. Now, I’m trembling again. I was going to have to face this red-faced woman once more.

Mrs. Maney was still in the classroom. Her eyes glared at Mother, then me. Now, someone else had a red face, and it wasn’t the teacher. Yes, it was Mother. Mother repeated my story. She began by questioning her if these events had happened as I had described them. Mrs. Maney told the story in her way. Mother told her to never say that I couldn’t do anything. She said, “Charlotte can always follow directions and at any time. Mrs. Maney never opened her mouth. The woman never picked on me again either.

Now, why am I sharing this story? Sometimes in life, we are told that we can’t do this or that; and even when we try, we may have been told how stupid that we are or that we can’t do things correctly. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” How do we get to a place that we believe certain incorrect things? We may hear a spoken statement over and over. This may come from another person, or it may be that a demon spirit is speaking a lie to us over and over. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” In other words, we can hear the Promises of God over and over until we believe (we have faith) what the Word says; not believing with the mind but with the heart. Demons also will send people our way to tell us that we can’t do this or that; and if we do, we will surely mess up. The enemy has inroads to our lives when we allow him to keep speaking to us what is negative or a lie and listen until we believe him instead of God’s Word. This becomes a stronghold. This must be pulled down.

Just as Mother shared the Truths of God’s Word with me, I could identify that what this teacher had told me over and over was a lie that I didn’t have to receive it. I began repeating over and over that I could follow directions; that I could do all things through Christ. Are you bound by what someone has told you? Be free in Jesus’ name by speaking the Word that opposes satan’s lies, in Jesus’ name.